Painting: every DIY home improvement buff’s nightmare. It’s time-consuming, it’s deceptively challenging, it’s potentially quite expensive, and it has to be done every few years, over and over again, forever.

Yes, painting is obnoxious… unless you know how to make it easy for yourself. Any bit of home improvement is frustrating when you haven’t taken the time to make it easy, simple, and straightforward, much like anything else in life!

Fortunately, we’re here with nine ways that you can make painting a room easy:

1. Learn to Paint!

As we mentioned, painting is deceptively challenging. Just put the paint on the brush, put said paint on the wall, and repeat until the wall is painted, right? Wrong. The way in which you apply the paint is everything!

If the coat is uneven, too thin or too thick, or messy, you may find yourself touching up or outright repainting the wall again and again. Take the time to learn how to paint — say, for some handy instructional videos on the internet or a friend in-the-know — and you will make painting leagues easier for yourself!

2. Use an Extension Rod

Extension rods are the sticks that you can attach to the handle of your roller so that they are longer. Part of the difficulty of painting is just how physically demanding it can be. You’re reaching, stretching, up on your tiptoes or bent over, trying desperately to reach every last unpainted spot on the wall or ceiling, and in the end it is absolutely exhausting.

Limit the amount of time you spend stretching yourself thin by limiting your range of motion a bit more. An extension rod will do exactly that for you, allowing you to paint large sections of wall with minimal physical effort!

3. Spend the Money on Good Brushes

Good paint is important, but good brushes are arguably even MORE important. First, there’s the handle: what kind is it? Is it ergonomically shaped? What material is it composed of? You can make it easier on your hand, your wrist, and thus your whole body by investing in a brush that is comfortable to use.

Then there’s the brush itself: make sure it is a sturdy material that is right for the job at hand. Hair, sponge, or other materials are correct for different situations, so get yourself plenty of variety, but also ensure that it is high enough quality that it won’t split, get messy, or break on you when you need it. That only adds to the hassle.

4. Sandpaper is the Best Paint!

Well, that’s not exactly it: you can paint a little sloppy if you’re willing take the time to sand away the flaws. Using sandpaper can allow you to sand down any mistakes you’ve made, such as drips on the wall, creating an even surface that people will think was professionally done!

5. Drop Cloths Save Floors

Use a canvas drop cloth on the floor when you’re painting. Whether you have hardwood, carpet, or some other kind of flooring in the room you’re painting, you don’t want to have to deal with paint on it, so you’ll paint more carefully if it is unprotected, leading to slower, more excruciating painting. Avoid all of the above by simply protecting it with a drop cloth that has been firmly fixed to the edges of the room using painter’s tape and you’ll be glad you did!

6. Scrape Your Windows

Your windows don’t need table on them, and in fact that can be difficult to do and can even leave a residue. Using a razor blade scraper to simply remove any paint that has found its way onto your windows; the glass will allow the paint to easily come away, and it will be easier than trying to get a clean paint job on all the edges of your window with tape on them.

7. Degreaser

Of course, none of this is any good if you don’t make sure that the surface you’re painting on is absolutely clean. Any dirt, grease, or otherwise flaws on the wall before you paint will inevitably lead to a need for a fresh paint job much sooner than it should. Degreaser on the wall should cure it of any flaws that could lead to a botched paint job.

8. Oil v. Water

Use a water-based paint. It dries faster, has less odor, and is generally just superior to the oil-based alternative; you should be able to find what you need in with brand name Benjamin Moore Store options across your region should have it available!

9. Only Use Primer When…

Primer is not always a necessary step, and can in fact be a waste of time, money, and effort when it isn’t. Only use primer when you have to paint a light color over a dark color, when the walls are stained so badly that they need a fresh start, and when the walls have had to be patched up with spackle and so need a fresh base to paint upon.

In other words, if you think what’s going on with the wall could bleed through into the color you want to paint it… give it a coat of primer first.

And it’s that easy! Make painting simpler, more cost-effective, and faster, and you’ll find that it’s actually one of the better parts of home renovation!